Outsole with anti-slip tread

ABSTRACT

A footwear outsole has a generally planar outwardly facing contact surface which has a plurality of spaced-apart conduits passing through it. The conduits have opposed ends which open through the sidewall of the outsole. The conduits open to the contact surface of the outsole through slots which have a width at their intersection with the contact surface which is less than the maximum width of the conduits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tread patterns of footwear are designed to provide optimal performance based on the intended use of the footwear. In many cases optimum performance is maximum traction. A boot that will be used for walking in mud, for example, would have a very aggressive tread with multiple protrusions with large open areas between them. Maximum traction on a smooth surface, such as concrete, is achieved by having a simple flat tread made from a sticky material such as rubber or a rubber compound. However, if the same surface has liquid on it, as might be the case with a restaurant kitchen, the liquid prevents a flat outsole from actually contacting the floor surface and it would provide little traction. To overcome this problem slots are formed in the outsole to allow the water to be squeezed out from under the outsole as it is urged against the floor. However, if these slots are wide enough to displace all of the liquid under the outsole, a large portion of the contact area of the outsole is lost.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention overcomes this problem by having the slots open into wider conduits which pass through the sole and have opposed ends which open out of the sidewalls of the outsole.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bottom surface of an outsole of the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional schematic view showing how fluid is evacuated from under the outsole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, a footwear outsole 10 has a generally planer outwardly facing contact surface 12 and a sidewall 14 that extends around the periphery of the contact surface and is substantially normal to the contact surface. Extending through the outsole are a plurality of conduits 16 having opposed ends which open out of the sidewall. In the embodiment illustrated the conduits are egg-shaped in cross-section, but they could have almost any shape. In the embodiment illustrated the conduits are arrayed in parallel, spaced-apart rows and extend completely across the outsole normal to its longitudinal axis. In a preferred embodiment the conduits are equally spaced and are separated from one another by a distance c. They have a maximum width w along the longitudinal axis of the outsole.

The conduits 16 open out of the contact surface 12 of the outsole 10 through slots 18 which are formed in the contact surface. The slots 18 have a width s which is less than the center to center distance c of the slots and is also less than the maximum width w of the conduits. The length I of the resulting strips which create the contact surface 12 is substantially greater than the width s of the slots 18. Thus, the majority of the outsole is available as a planer contact surface, thereby maximizing the surface area that is in contact with the floor.

However, because the conduit 16 has a width w which is greater than the width s of the slots, the conduits can pass more of the fluid that enters the slots when the outsole is urged downwardly on a wet surface than if the slots had the same width from top to bottom. Preferably the slots are sized such that almost all of the liquid which becomes trapped below the outsole when it is urged downwardly on a wet floor will be forced into the slots. In addition, the conduits 16 are sized such that they are capable of flowing this liquid out of their ends as quickly as it can be admitted into them through the slots, FIG. 3. Because the width w of the slots can be less than would be necessary if the slots 18 themselves had to carry liquid out from under the sole, much more of the outsole is available as the contact surface 12, making the outsole much more slip-resistant.

In a preferred embodiment the outsole 10 is made from a natural or synthetic rubber material and the slots 18 and conduit 16 are molded into it.

In use, the outsole maximizes the amount of contact surface while still permitting any water on the floor to be displaced from under the outsole when it is pressed against the floor. As a result, the outsole maximizes the amount of grip that is available on a wet floor.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the forgoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalence of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow. 

1. A footwear tread comprising: (a) a sole piece having an outwardly facing contact surface and a side surface which extends around the periphery of said contact surface; (b) a plurality of spaced-apart conduits which pass through said sole piece, said conduits having opposed ends which open through said side surface; (c) a plurality of spaced-apart slots which extend across said contact surface, said slots being in one to one fluid communication with said conduits; (d) said slots having a slot width at their intersection with said contact surface and said conduits having a maximum width which is greater than said slot width.
 2. The footwear tread of claim 1 wherein there is one slot for each conduit.
 3. The footwear tread of claim 2 wherein each slot is immediately above its associated conduit.
 4. The footwear tread of claim 1 wherein said slots extend laterally across said sole piece.
 5. The footwear tread of claim 4 wherein said slots are substantially straight.
 6. The footwear tread of claim 5 wherein said slots are parallel to one another.
 7. The footwear tread of claim 1 wherein said conduits are egg-shaped in cross-section.
 8. The footwear tread of claim 1 wherein said contact surface is planar.
 9. A footwear tread comprising: (a) a sole piece having a generally planer outwardly facing contact surface and a side surface which extends around the periphery of said contact surface; (b) a plurality of spaced-apart conduits which pass through said sole piece, said conduits having opposed ends which open through said side surface; (c) a plurality of spaced-apart slots which extend across said contact surface, said slots being in one to one fluid communication with said conduits; (d) said slots being spaced apart from one another by a first predetermined distance; and (e) said conduits being spaced apart from one another by a second predetermined distance which is greater than said first predetermined distance.
 10. A footwear tread comprising: (a) a sole piece having a generally planer outwardly facing contact surface and a side surface which extends around the periphery of said contact surface; (b) a plurality of spaced-apart conduits which pass through said sole piece, said conduits having opposed ends which open through said side surface; (c) a plurality of spaced-apart slots which extend across said contact surface; said slots being in one to one fluid communication with said conduits; (d) wherein said conduits and slots are configured such that when said contact surface is urged downwardly on a floor having liquid on it, said conduits are capable of flowing said liquid out of said opposed ends at least as quickly as said fluid can be admitted into said conduits through said slots. 